Star Wars: A New Order
by mileshanmore
Summary: Five years after the fall of the Empire, Luke Skywalker must face the devilish Grand Admiral Thrawn, who will stop at nothing to restore a disembodied Palpatine to full strength and bring darkness to the galaxy. But with his sister Leia choosing to stop her training to parent her son Ben, how will Luke re-build a Jedi Order strong enough to prevent Palpatine's sinister plans...?
1. Prologue

Somewhere in the Unknown Regions, there is a planet unseen by organic eye for generations. A planet long since reduced to mere folklore, passed from whisperer to whisperer around a campfire burning beneath an inky night. Folklore that many simply refuse to accept, whether out of fear or genuine scepticism. These ideologies aren't universal, of course. Others want to believe in this place. In all its barren landscapes, dry as the sands of Pasana. In all its looming caverns, ominous as a ruthless bounty-hunter, ready to pounce on a target worth a million credits. Most of all, they want to believe that this planet, whatever its physical conditions may be, is truly worthy of the title myth has long since bestowed – the hidden world of the Sith.

_It's true. Every whisper. Every legend. _Emperor Palpatine gazed in awe at the murky sphere from his ship. Somehow, he had done it. Owing everything to his unbeatable strength in the dark side of the force, he had found the unfindable. Exegol. In all its ethereal majesty. A bolt of sizzling lightning struck the planet's surface. A small crater, barely visible, was cut from the rock, leaving a gaping hole. It reminded Palpatine of the holographic jigsaw puzzles the Jedi younglings amused themselves with between their lessons with Master Yoda. _Used to amuse themselves with_. Palpatine tried to contact his new apprentice, but the hologram projection switch refused to acknowledge his incessant jabbing at its centre. The ship came to a halt, inaudible over the continuous cracks of lightning, and landed. Palpatine closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. His heart was beating just as quickly as his sunken mouth was quivering into a smile. This place was strong in the dark side of the force. Even stronger than him.

He had no idea as to whether the number of freshly dead Jedi, growing larger and larger by the hour, had had any effect on the immense amount of dark side energy present here. He gazed left and right as he stepped down from his ship. _Just an instinct._ He continued straight ahead, the flame of his beady eyes contrasting staggeringly with the dark. It wasn't long before he came to a large, temple-like structure, guarded by an even mightier statue of an ancient Sith lord. Palpatine entered without hesitation. At first, he saw absolutely nothing. Then, a swarm of cloaked figures, crowding around him on their knees, along with an accompanying wail of…_Admiration. Worship_. Palpatine considered this, his smile growing still.

"At last!" He hissed. "The Malow Jodall!" The legends knew this name, and spoke frequently of it. A group of Sith cultists who had pledged their allegiance to a galaxy-wide rule of the dark side long ago.

"THE JEDI ARE NO MORE!" Palpatine bawled. "THE SITH ONCE MORE RULE THE GALAXY!" The Jodall's chants became higher, faster, stronger.

"MY GRAND PLAN HAS FINALLY COME TO FRUITION!" The cult, sinking lower to the hard floor, raised their hands towards Palpatine's deformed face. He was the closest thing to a living, breathing Sith God the galaxy had ever witnessed.

"Alas, my friends," Palpatine permitted himself a chuckle. "We must not get ahead of ourselves. We must be prepared for…_every _outcome." The chanting dipped.

"In the event," Palpatine went on. "That I am ever overthrown, and defeated, I have some very specific instructions." The chanting dropped completely.

"Good," Palpatine grinned. "Here is what I ask of you all. As soon as you hear of my death, travel to Moraband, the birthplace of the Sith. My spirit will be looming there, unable to manifest itself. You will all construct a new host body, one that will grow strong and powerful enough to restore the Empire, and allow the Sith to dominate once again!" The hooded figures bowed lower in understanding, chanting once more in a collective howl of sheer wonderment.

"Welcome!" Palpatine spoke some final words before turning to leave. "To a new era."

* * *

"Now young Skywalker…" Palpatine had momentarily ceased his bombardment of force lightning upon the newly-trained Jedi. "You will die."

Vader stood at his master's side, just watching. His physical body may have been stationary, but his thoughts were racing. _Anakin, you're breaking my heart._ _My master could never be as vile as you._ _You were once Anakin Skywalker, my father._ _You were the chosen one!_

He made a sideward glance towards Palpatine. Then to his son – on the verge of death, screaming in unfettered agony.

"No…NO!" He leapt towards his master, scooping him from the floor. Palpatine, caught completely off-guard, wailed just as loudly as his former victim. Vader walked on, the cracks of Palpatine's lightning fizzling against the blackness of his helmet, and reached an open shaft surrounding the turbolifts. He took a deep breath, and threw his master straight in! Swirling gusts of force energy wrapped around his suit upon the instant. It was all over. Palpatine was gone.

For a time.


	2. Chapter 1

The scorching midday sun beat down upon the treetops of Endor. A steady breeze weaved in and out among fleeting patches of shade, giving the humid afternoon a strangely cosy feel, like resting in a bubbling sauna situated on Hoth. The wind carried the harmonious songs of the Elala birds resting in the mountaintops, along with the sharp snap of twigs crushed by passing Ewoks. Everywhere as it always was. At least, mostly everywhere.

Far away from the homes of the bear-like furries, and the caves of the strongly-built Gorax, a pair of lightsabers were clashing. Their impact was so great that the vibration could be felt through every tree-top for huge distances. The opposing forces, each masked with a grimy blast-shield helmet, thrust their faces towards one another, until they were mere milli-metrics away. The green lightsaber wielder kicked their opponent square in the chest, sending them hurtling towards the edge of the stream. In a flash, the emerald blade was pointed straight at their adversary. One mistake – a stumble, a slip, a stagger – and it would have all been over for them. But Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi Knights, was beyond such visceral mishaps. He pulled his helmet's visor up over his forehead, inviting his sister Leia to do the same.

"It's not your strength in the force," he assured her. "It's all in your lightsaber technique. You have to always stay two steps ahead of your opponent." Luke's twin simultaneously raised her head and lowered her weapon.

"When you've been using a blaster all your life," she explained, with a hint of scorn. "These laser-swords sure take some getting used to."

"A Jedi's weapon is his very greatest asset," Luke said. "Harness your strength in the ways of the force to complement your combat abilities. Let the spiritual and the physical work together in harmony." Leia simply nodded. Her brother was becoming more and more like the wisest of his Jedi ancestors with each passing lesson.

"Let's begin heading back," Luke said. "We can continue at sunrise."

"Yeah." Leia hesitated. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about…" But Leia didn't finish. A cloaked figure had pounced on her from behind a wide tree-trunk, one shaking hand holding a blaster to her cheekbone, the other digging its knife-like fingernails into her neck. In less than an instant, Luke was just as defenceless.

"Tell me where the base is," the figure holding Leia whispered. "And I'll make your death slightly less excruciating."

"It seems…" Luke managed in between heavy breaths. "Class dismissal will have to wait a little longer." Leia sank her top teeth into her bottom lip, her eyeballs growing whiter. Her brother just barely mustered a nod. She got the undertones. _Reach out. Allow the force and your tactical combat to go hand-in-hand_.

With one swift jab of the knee-cap to their stomach, Leia had thrown her attacker clean off balance. She propelled her hand forward. Her lightsabre flew straight into her hand like a boomerang. She spun around, but her attacker was nowhere to be seen. _Reach out_. Leia closed her eyes and tried to make utter concentration her primary objective in the sparse time she had left. She thought that she could…Yes! She was beginning to sense an unwelcome presence, coming from behind to her north. She spun around. Her tough training boot made direct contact with the figure's neck, and in no time at all he was on the ground, his backbone searing in agony. But that was the least of his concerns. Leia's watery-blue sabre was at his chest! Through his pain, he somehow managed a hearty laugh. Luke's opponent, long-since overpowered, joined in.

"This…" Leia's former attacker spoke. He was certainly human. "_This _is all you have to show for your new Jedi Order, Master Skywalker!" He removed his hood, revealing a middle-aged man with bristly facial hair and piercing brown eyes.

"They couldn't sense us in their busyness," the other attacker chortled. "How in hell they gonna sense new threats to the galaxy?" Luke considered. Even if his sister _did _become as confident a Jedi as he was, it would just be them. It was better than nothing, of course, but it was also a far cry from the days of the Old Republic, when council meeting rooms and battlefields alike were packed with symphonies of Jedi Knights, conducted by cultures and species from every corner of the galaxy. What would happen if a new danger, perhaps even more dangerous and menacing than the Empire, were to emerge from the shadows?

"Who sent you?" He demanded.

"Sent…sent…" Leia's attacker collapsed into a fit of jovial giggling. "You really think every obstacle's connected to a bigger picture? Can't we just be a couple a more realistic fellows who ain't scared to admit the truth?"

"Truth?" Leia questioned, the grip on her lightsabre tightening.

"The galaxy ain't safe!" Luke and Leia glanced at each other. "What?" The attacker went on. "You think the Empire's fall was all a "happy-ever-after sort of scenario?" He broke into more laughter. "You Jedi bozos make me laugh, you really do!"

"What do we do with them?" Leia asked. Luke hesitated.

"Nothing," he said. "They're a danger to precisely nobody. Except maybe a deformed cub." He and Leia were at ease once more. They strolled away side-by-side, the two attackers shouting discouragement until they were out of earshot.

"You can't stop it, Skywalker!"

"You won't be around to protect the galaxy forever!"

"Did we tell you we're Darth Vader clones? Whooooooooo!"

* * *

"I sense…troubled feelings," Luke said after a lengthy silence.

"We were caught entirely off-guard," Leia replied, avoiding eye contact. "It was very…troubling."

"There's something else!" Luke insisted. "Something you're finding even more disturbing. Is that what you were going to tell me?"

"In hindsight, now _really_ isn't the best time."

"Leia…"

"Alright!" She knew there was little point in resistance. "It's my training. I'm not exactly getting any better, and…"

"Leia, Leia…"

"It's Ben." She said quickly. "He's so young, and…I just feel like I can't be there for him properly as your student. Certainly not as the most important member of your new Jedi Order." She allowed herself a smile. Luke's face fell.

"I understand that you feel you need me," Leia said. "But these past five years, I've found myself missing life in the rebellion more and more."

"What Rebellion? Leia, the Empire's gone!" Luke's sister shot him a look, and he understood immediately. The galaxy would _always _need a system of defence ready to spring to action at any moment, even if they hadn't been operational for a whole generation.

"What do I do now?" He mused, more to himself than his sister.

"There are others," Leia re-assured him. "There _must _be. The Jedi may be all but extinct, but the force sure as hell isn't." Luke knew it was true. He and Leia walked in almost total silence the rest of the way. Luke had no strong – or necessary – counterarguments. Leia might not have been the one he needed to ensure the next age remained one of peace and justice, but someone would be.

The Jedi might well have been dead. But the force would be with the galaxy. Always.


End file.
